This article outlines the most commonly committed mistakes and blunders you might commit if you decide to build or buy a solar power system for your house or RV.
We would like to share our experience about what to avoid once you have decided to buy a solar power system or build it yourself.
Being aware of all such possible traps will help you:
- Decide whether it is worth to go solar or not
- Size, install, and maintain your solar power system fast and easy, with no nasty surprises
- Buy the photovoltaic system you need, without letting yourself being ripped off by solar vendors
- Be sure that your money has been invested in project optimally fit your daily energy needs, available roof space, and plans.
Adding solar power to your home or RV has many advantages:
• Solar energy is free and accessible to everyone (although equipment for solar power generation is not free).
• Solar energy is inexhaustible.
• Photovoltaics is a clean, quiet, and environmental-friendly source of power.
• If your home or office is connected to the grid, you can save money on electricity bills and gain energy independence.
• If you want more solar-generated electricity, you can add more solar panels.
• If you live in a remote area, solar power can be the only way to make your appliances operate.
• Solar power systems are almost maintenance-free as they don’t contain any moving or breakable parts.
• If you provide solar power to your RV, you extend the life of your leisure battery.
• Solar panels can add value to your house
Here are some challenges to consider before going solar:
• PV systems tolerate no shading.|
• Despite the prices on solar panels and other system components steadily going down, the initial investment on solar power is substantial. For this reason, solar-generated electricity is still more expensive than the electricity supplied by utility companies.
• There is scarce sunlight on some days, so the need for electricity storage is inevitable.
• There are ‘power-hungry’ appliances that are not recommended to be powered by solar panels – these are large heating devices, such as heaters, cookers, air-conditioners, etc.
If you intend to solar-power an entire house, you should think of viable alternatives to all of these.
• Lead-acid batteries, which are the most common for home off-grid systems, need regular maintenance and have a relatively short lifespan.
This article can help you provided that you have already become well aware of all the above pros and cons of solar power.
Indeed, there is no point in advising how to avoid mistakes and blunders on the ground of illusions and false expectations!
The tips and tricks exposed here are based on the practical and easy to follow information from our book “Top 40 Costly Mistakes Solar Newbies Make: Your Smart Guide to Solar Powered Home and Business”.
The book is available worldwide in ebook, paperback and audio editions.
Table of Contents
Solar power systems and their users
A solar photovoltaic (PV) system generates electricity from sunlight. Solar-generated electricity is produced by solar panels, which are the main components of solar power systems.
Depending on whether you use the solar-generated electricity right away or store it in a battery for later use, there are three main types of PV systems:
- Grid-tied – a part of the solar-generated electricity is used immediately by your household devices, while the remaining part (if any) is exported to the utility grid, for which you get paid.
‘Utility grid’ is the electrical networks consisting of power lines and poles that provide power to buildings, streetlights, etc.
If your home or office is connected to the grid, you have regular bills to pay for the electricity you have consumed during the last month.|
Grid-tied solar systems are recommended if your home is connected to the grid, and you want to save money on electricity bills or make a long-term investment with profitability.
Also, grid-tied systems are recommended for areas where power outages happen rarely and short periods.
In case of a grid power outage, for safety reasons, a grid-tied system is disconnected from the grid, and your home will be in a blackout.
If you live in an area with frequent power outages and you want to save money on electricity, a grid-tied system with power backup is the option for you (see below).
- Off-grid – the solar-generated electricity is stored in a battery to be later used by DC and AC appliances at your home. Off-grid solar power systems are used either to power some small, portable devices (lights, fans, phone/tablet/laptop/camera chargers, etc.) or to power an entire home in a remote location, that cannot be connected to the grid.
- Grid-tied with power backup – a modification of grid-tied systems, where you have a battery to power some critical appliances in case of a power outage.
A grid-tied system with battery backup will provide you with interrupted power supply even in case of a grid power outage. Thus you can both maximize your solar investment and feel comfortable at home during a blackout.
Yes, with all the benefits you can get if you make photovoltaics work for you, the variety of vendors and solar offers on the market, and the abundant free info online and offline, you are easily tempted to go solar.
This is okay… as long as you are aware of the drawbacks and be also in clear what to avoid.
What we mean are all those possible mistakes and blunders that can quickly turn your investment into loss of time and money, let you down, and make you quit solar for good!
Here are the most commonly committed steps in the wrong direction:
- General blunders with home solar power systems – assessing the location, system sizing, selecting the solar components.
- Blunders when building the system by yourself – using cheap/secondhand and DIY solar panels, installing and commissioning the solar components.
- Blunders in mobile solar power systems – selecting the solar panel type and the right type of battery, charge controller, and inverter.
- Blunders, when buying a solar PV system – selecting the wrong solar vendor, underestimating the prices of minor solar components, and ignoring the financial incentives that would reduce the cost of your PV system.
General blunders committed with home solar power systems
Wrongly selected location
You are supposed to start your solar project with surveying your location.
A lousy spot for placing the solar panels means low solar-generated electricity, which would eventually make all the solar investment pointless.
A ‘lousy’ spot means an improper location where solar panels are shaded and cannot get the full amount of sunlight.
No matter whether you install your solar panels on the ground or the roof, you have to eliminate anything in the vicinity of your home that would possibly cast a shadow.
To maximize the solar-generated power both at midday, when the sun is the strongest, and during other parts of the day, you should place your solar panels at a specific orientation and tilt.
Orientation is the direction your photovoltaic solar panels are pointing at, while tilt is the angle the sunbeams fall onto the panel surface.
There are optimal values of orientation and tilt angle for any location in the world, and you should use them to make your system work for you in the best possible way.
Mistakes upon system sizing
The ultimate purpose of solar system sizing is to find out how much power you panels should produce and then estimate the battery type and size needed to store the solar-generated electricity.
Above all, you should start with your daily energy use.
Building a solar power system that does not match your daily consumption of electricity means either that the PV system will not be able to cover your energy needs or that you might end up installing a too big and expensive system you don’t need!
Then, you are supposed to size your solar battery and eventually select the optimal battery type, in terms of both price and performance.
The solar battery bank should be matched to your daily energy needs, and the solar array should be capable of providing regular solar charge to it.
An oversized solar battery means a bulky and costly battery which, on the one hand, can be tough to maintain and, on the other hand, will increase the number of solar panels you need.
The solar array should provide a regular charge to your battery so that its lifespan would last as long as possible.
To estimate how much solar photovoltaic panels you need to charge the solar battery, you have to find out how much solar power they generate.
Therefore, once you have chosen your location, you should calculate how much power a single solar panel installed on your roof or in your yard will produce.
Many online solar maps depict the amount of solar resource available at your location, but only a few ones enable you to make a fast, easy, and precise estimation.
You can learn more about these mistakes or other more costly solar blunders in our book “Top 40 Costly Mistakes Solar Newbies Make: Your Smart Guide to Solar Powered Home and Business”. The book is available in ebook, paperback and audio editions.
Blunders in selecting the solar components
a) Solar panels
Despite all panel types made of silicon, amorphous (thin-film) solar panels are the least efficient compared to crystalline (mono- and polycrystalline) panels.
- You should be in clear what panels you want (but also whether it is possible) to use – fixed or portable ones.
This is valid not only for the mobile solar power systems but also for residential ones.
When talking about fixed or portable panels, here is what to consider: getting the maximum sunlight and providing the optimal tilt angle (primary factor!), threat for the solar array to be stolen or damaged by people or animals, easiness to transport with the other baggage (for RV solar systems) or easiness to mount (for home off-grid solar systems). - Higher efficiency does not always mean ‘better’ solar panels, i.e., the proper ones for your solar system – in terms of price to pay (for the panels and for mounting them), tolerance to shading and high temperature, weight and size, easy to handle and install (for a home PV system), convenient to carry and transport (for a mobile PV system).
Here is what we call ‘a good value for the price’ – getting solar panel(s) that cover your daily energy needs, fit to your roof space, and match your available budget. - Try to stay away from the cheapest option available. In our book “Top 40 Costly Mistakes Solar Newbies Make: Your Smart Guide to Solar Powered Home and Business”, we provide you with enough information on cheap solar panels and on solar panels in general.
Thus, your ‘homework’ is to answer for yourself to the question ‘Why on Earth are these solar panels the cheapest ones?’ - Durability. Although solar panels are designed for outdoor conditions, often durability is more important than other factors.
- Aesthetics – different types of solar panels look different, which might be an issue to consider if you intend to sell your house. Moreover, in this regard, what also matters is:
- Availability – let’s suppose you have plans to expand your solar power system soon. Will you still be able to find the same panels you have installed at first? Or you’ll be bound to choose different solar panels both as parameters and appearance?
- We recommend requesting a free quote from the solar panel vendors you have short-listed. The idea of such a quote is to see which and how many panels a vendor has offered you, at what cost and how the overall appearance of the solar array matches your roof.
b) Batteries
Off-grid systems and grid-tied systems with power backup are ‘battery-based systems.’
If you have a home off-grid system, you need a solar battery to power your appliances at night or on days of scarce sunlight.
If you have an RV, camper, caravan, or boat, you need a solar electric system to keep your leisure battery charged.
The battery should be in good condition and capable of storing the solar-generated electricity.
Otherwise, there is no sense of installing a solar system.
Batteries used in solar power systems are called ‘solar batteries,’ but this tells almost nothing about their nature.
Therefore, a correct name to use is ‘deep cycle batteries’ thus stating the difference between solar batteries and automotive batteries used for starting car engines.
Unlike car batteries, which are capable of providing a high starting current within a very short period, solar batteries are exposed to regular and gradual charges and discharges to which a casual car battery is not able to withstand.
The most common batteries used in solar power systems are lead-acid ones. They can be either flooded (built of lead plates immersed in a liquid electrolyte) or sealed (containing again lead plates, but the electrolyte is a solid or gel substance).
Sealed lead-acid batteries can, in turn, be either AGM or Gel ones and predominantly used in mobile solar applications.
Lithium batteries are gaining popularity, mostly for mobile solar power systems.
Compared to lead-acid ones, they cost much higher, but they are also lighter, less bulky, perform better, and are more tolerant to deep discharges.
Not every solar battery will do for any solar system as each battery type has its disadvantages.
Flooded lead-acid batteries need maintenance, which comprises performing certain regular activities; otherwise, their lifespan might get severely reduced.
Also, they are not entirely safe and do not tolerate shocks and vibrations.
Gel and AGM batteries are more expensive than flooded lead-acid ones, do not tolerate over-charging and over-discharging, as well as extreme temperatures.
Lithium batteries are the most expensive ones, they are vulnerable to extreme temperatures, and require a dedicated battery management system to track the battery state of charge.
Nevertheless, each of these solar battery types has its niche where it is a king and offers indisputable advantages that decisively overweight the known drawbacks!
c) Solar charge controllers
Controlling the way of charging the battery by the solar array is very important.
Higher wattage solar panels can overcharge the battery, and if this is done regularly, the battery lifespan shortens drastically.
Therefore, a battery-based PV system typically needs a solar charge controller, also known as ‘charge regulator,’ to prevent the battery from overcharging and over-discharging but also to prevent reverse current from flowing back to the solar panels at night.
Last but least, you cannot connect a solar panel directly to a battery since even solar panels rated with a nominal voltage of 12V produce somewhat higher voltage – around 17-19V – which can reduce the efficiency of the whole solar power system or in a long run to damage a 12V battery!
Not every solar power system needs a charge controller.
A common rule of thumb to check whether your system needs a charge regulator is to take the solar battery capacity, divide it by 10 and multiply it by solar battery nominal voltage.
If the wattage of your solar panel(s) is lower than the figure obtained, i.e the wattage that could be stored in the solar battery, you can do without a charge controller.
It should be noted, however, that even a good charge regulator is far from the costliest solar system components.
Therefore, you should not underestimate it, but you should also be in clear what kind of charge controller would be the best match for your system.
Do you know that a wrongly selected charge regulator can lead to a 50% loss of the solar-generated power?
Owners of recreational vehicles often make the wrong decision by connecting a couple of high-voltage solar panels at the lowest cost per watt and connect them to a cheap charge controller.
The result is losing almost half of the solar-generated power!
d) Inverters
Solar batteries store DC power that can be used in two alternative ways. The first one is by devices designed to operate in DC.
The second one is by an inverter converting DC into AC electricity to be used by the AC devices in your home or RV.
There are two kinds of inverters – grid-tied and off-grid. Although they apparently do the same thing – convert DC into AC power – they cannot be used interchangeably.
Also, there are a couple of off-grid inverter types that differ in the quality of the AC voltage they produce.
Selecting a solar inverter of inferior quality might have a detrimental effect on specific devices in your house.
If you want to discover more practical information about solar power system building blocks you can get our book “The New Simple And Practical Solar Component Guide: Your Easy To Follow Book and Personal Solar Advisor available in ebook, paperback and audiobook formats from corresponding stores described on our webpage here.
Blunders when building the system by yourself
Overtrusting cheap, secondhand, and DIY solar panels
Solar panels have significantly dropped in price during recent years.
Prices, however, remain high, especially if you need more solar power generated (for example, when you need a PV system to power an entire household). Buying secondhand or cheap solar panels often appears as a natural and attractive option.
For example, if you need a small and cheap solar panel system to provide power to a simple device or a recreational vehicle, buying cheap panels is better rather than buying a new, expensive, branded solar panel.
With cheap solar panels, you are likely to save up to 50% off the price, compared to buying new, branded panels.
If you decide to buy cheap solar panels, you should buy ones of higher rated power. A recommended percentage is 15 to 20% higher rated power than you need.
You should mind, however, that the warranty of cheap solar panels is usually only extended to one or two years, rather than the typical 25-30 years warranty with new panels.
Also, you should mind that secondhand panels usually have much lower efficiency. This means not only that you cannot make a precise enough sizing of your solar panel system, but also that you need a larger space to install the panels to generate the same power, compared to when using new panels.
The golden rule of a thumb is: Don’t mix solar panels produced by different vendors or solar panels produced by the same vendor but of different characteristics, or panels belonging to different production series.
Secondhand solar panels have even more limitations.
They are not allowed for some solar power systems. Also, with a system comprising secondhand solar panels, you are not eligible for any grants, rebates, or incentives.
Furthermore, even the vendor of secondhand solar panels, like any other vendor, might try to sell you a lower value for the price.
So, before buying secondhand solar panels, you should be well prepared what to look for, what to avoid, and what questions to ask.
For example, you should carefully examine each panel and beware of breaks, chips, scratches, and water condensation. Also, a key question to ask is how old the panels are and in what kind of environment they were installed.
The smart idea is to bring with you a fellow electrician equipped with a multimeter, and have the relevant voltage, power, and current measured.
DIY (‘homemade’) solar panels are known as the lowest cost option of cheap solar panels.
Making solar panels at home is not as easy as described in lots of books and blogs. Homemade panels are not recommended for solar electric systems of high wattage, voltage, or current.
Also, they are not recommended to power an entire household for a variety of reasons.
Last but not least, they are not an option for a grid-tied system, where you need to get a license to get connected to the grid, and obtaining such a license is not possible with DIY solar panels.
Mixing different solar panels
Another frequently committed mistake is mixing solar panels of different voltage or wattage, or produced by different manufacturers.
Mixing different solar panels is not forbidden but is not recommended, as each solar panel has its specific power degrade percentage.
Thus, the output of each solar panel degrades differently in time. Also, it is not easy to find an exact panel match between panels produced by different solar vendors.
As a result of mixing different solar panels, your solar-generated power might get down to more than 50%! We should note, however, that such degrade in the power output strongly depends on whether solar panels are connected in series or parallel.
Also, not every charge controller is tolerant of mixing solar panels of different characteristics. Indeed, you have the option to connect different solar panels to different charge controllers, but this is always more expensive.
Improperly wired photovoltaic solar panels
When talking about mixing different solar panels, we should not forget the basic configurations of connecting solar photovoltaic panels, with their pros and cons.
By connecting solar panels in series, you increase the total voltage of the array and keep the current the same.
If, however, one panel gets shaded, the total power output gets down to 0, no matter whether the other panels are operating in full sun.
Wiring photovoltaic panels in parallel results in increased total current and keeping the voltage the same.
With panels connected in parallel, if one panel shuts down after getting shaded, the power output only gets reduced by the power to be produced by the shaded panel, rather than down to 0!
Does all this mean that we should always connect panels in parallel? Unfortunately no; there is no such thing as ‘free lunch.’
The price you pay by connecting your panels in parallel is increased current, which always brings along the need for thicker wires.
Such wires are more cumbersome, hard to bend around corners and, typically, cost more.
Things might get even more complicated if we say that, regardless of how your wire your solar panels, if you intend to run cables at long distances, you should also use thicker (and more cumbersome) wires to reduce cable losses and mitigate the effect of voltage drops.
Poor installation or commissioning
There are lots of blunders committed during solar power system installation and commissioning.
For example, solar panels belonging to the same solar array are often installed in different parts of the roof.
In such a case, and if the solar system is based on a single inverter or charge controller, the system performance is bound to the performance of the solar panel with the worst position towards the sun.
When talking about connections and wiring, here are some simple rules to keep:
- The AC loads should be connected to the output of the inverter while the DC loads are to be connected to the output of the charge controller.
- Certain appliances, such as low-voltage refrigerators, have to be connected directly to the battery.
- In a small DC system with a charge controller, you do not need any fuses other than the one incorporated in the charge controller. In larger DC systems, you need to provide a fuse on the positive battery terminal.
Also, there is a strict sequence to follow upon plugging the charge controller to the solar power system in terms of connecting and disconnecting the wires between the solar panels, the charge controller, and the battery.
If you don’t follow this sequence, the high voltage generated by the solar panels can damage the load.
Blunders about mobile solar power systems
What solar panels to buy?! That is the question!
If you install the wrong panel type for your solar power system, it is not going to provide you with the full possible amount of solar-generated electricity.
Too low solar power output means that you are more likely to run out of power. An output higher than necessary would mean more money spent on something you don’t need.
Although all solar panels are made of silicon, they are divided into two main types – crystalline and thin-film.
Although crystalline panels are more efficient than thin-film ones, they are not always the best option, since there are many issues to consider – appearance, price, weight, size, portability, tolerance to shading (yes, some panels are more vulnerable to shading than others!), mechanical resistance, thickness, flexibility, easiness to clean.
If you need to install a solar power system on your RV, caravan, camper, or boat, what also matters is how and whether at all you can mount any solar panels on your vehicle.
For all these reasons, not always a more efficient and costlier solar panel means a better option for your specific case.
Therefore, the best panel is the one that would best match your needs.
A wrongly selected solar panel type can mean either a system incapable of meeting your daily power consumption or money just thrown in the wind.
The best solution for your solar project is rarely the cheapest one!
Thus, you need to know what traps you can easily fall into and how to avoid them by following some simple tips.
- The higher the wattage of a solar panel, the more solar-generated electricity you get. Since you don’t get the full amount of rated power due to the losses inherent for any solar power system, we advise you to buy solar panels of higher wattage cells, upon all the other conditions being equal. Higher wattage cells mean not only higher power output but also fewer panels connected in series or parallel.
- Before starting your research of what is there on the solar panel marker, you should make a load analysis. Such analysis means calculating the electricity your devices need daily. What you get eventually is how much power you need, which in turn means spending money on the system matching best your case.
- Apart from the location, what also matters to get the maximum output from your solar panels is the condition of your battery. The solar panels must be capable of providing a sufficient regular charge to the battery, and the charge controller should prolong its lifespan by preventing overcharging and over-discharging.
- You can boost the solar-generated power output by using an MPPT solar charge controller.
What kind of battery, charge controller, and inverter is the best?
What kind of battery is suitable for your solar power system?
Well, it depends on what the most important for you is:
- Voltage – a typical value is 12V (used both in residential and RV solar systems). Sometimes 6V is used (for small appliances) or 24V (for medium home solar PV systems).
- Size and weight – lead-acid batteries are bulkier and heavier than lithium ones.
- Efficiency – 80% for lead-acid, 95% for lithium ones.
- Depth of discharge – 50% for lead-acid, 80% for lithium ones.
- Charge/discharge cycles – there is a variety of numbers, for example, 500 for lead-acid, 800 for lithium ones.
- Price – a lithium battery costs typically about five times more than a flooded-lead acid one. A lithium battery, however, proves to be the best investment in the long term.
Battery lifespan can be reduced by committing some blunders when connecting batteries.
People chasing both an inexpensive and easy solution for their solar project, often are prone to mixing batteries of a different type, model, or age.
Thus, the total system capacity can get severely reduced, since, with different battery types and models, connected in series or parallel, you have different battery voltage, amps, and state of charge.
Moreover, even when connecting the same battery types and models in parallel, you have a maximum number of connected batteries to achieve optimal systems performance.
Suppose that among the connected batteries, there is a battery of lower capacity than the other ones.
By exceeding this maximum number, you not only reduce the total capacity of the battery bank, but you also shorten the life of the individual batteries if one of them appears to be malfunctioning.
Regarding solar charge regulators, all of them seem to do the same – taking the solar panel voltage and bringing down to the battery voltage, which is usually 12V.
There are two main types of charge controllers – PWM and MPPT.
Their circuitry and principle of operation, however, is very different, and so is their efficiency. MPPT controllers can squeeze up to 30% more power from the solar panels, but they are far from the ideal solution for any case!
Here the price is again an essential factor to consider.
Other issues to take account of are the size of the solar system, the ambient conditions, and what configuration you have chosen to wire your solar panels.
Another commonly committed blunder is connecting the inverter directly to the battery, thus exposing it to a risk of over-discharging.
For this reason, the inverter should always be connected to the solar charge controller.
Therefore, when the battery is running low, the charge controller will disconnect both the inverter and the loads to prevent battery over-discharging.
You should also mind that the size of the solar array is not related to the inverter size.
While the size of the solar array size should be based on the amount of electricity you consume per day, the inverter size should be sized based the maximum power drawn by the batteries at a given moment by the AC appliances you intend to power.
Blunders when buying a solar PV system
Selecting the wrong solar vendor
Buying a PV system is a serious decision since it is related to a substantial investment.
When starting your solar vendor research, you should try to find out whether the company has often changed its name during the last years.
Also, mind that low prices stated can often mean a lack of experience.
A company who that have been in the solar business for a long time usually has high enough prices not only for the higher quality materials, components and services offered, but also for a fair profit margin allowing them to stay in business.
Furthermore, you should avoid companies that apply selling techniques based on pressure and persistence, for example claiming limited availability of a specific offer, offering high initial price combined with a considerable discount promised as long as you agree to sign on the very day.
If you have decided to buy a solar power system rather than build it yourself, you have to deal with solar vendors.
You think you should call a solar vendor or installer, and that within weeks or months, you’ll have your solar dream installed and operational.
Before making a solar vendor promise to do the best for you, you should know what the best for you is and what you need. Such an estimate is not so difficult to perform.
When you refer to a solar installer, they will probably be very friendly, convincing, and helpful to you, but they also might be far from offering you the most cost-effective solution.
Not being fully aware of prices and warranty
When talking about prices, solar panel prices do keep on dropping.
However, a solar electric system does not consist of solar panels alone.
Apart from the solar panels, there are also an inverter, battery, charger, distribution board, cabling, and mounting accessories.
Unfortunately, the cost of such additional hardware, together with the costs of labor for installation and commissioning, has not been going down with the price of solar panels and you should take this into account when planning the budget for your solar project.
Another underestimated issue when buying a solar system is the warranty. A typically offered warranty on solar panels is from 5 to 10 years for workmanship and up to 25 years for performance.
However, it is vital to know how solar panel performance warranties are structured.
You should be careful when reading solar panel datasheets.
Since most solar modules have a limited power warranty, manufacturers are not likely to offer module replacement.
Instead, they would suggest:
- Repairing the faulty panels,
- Compensating the reduced power output by offering enough new solar panels, or
- Refunding you for the decrease in power output by considering the accumulated years of use. For a warranty of 25 years, the annual deduction is typically 4%.
Mind that usually the manufacturer does not reimburse the costs you incur for dismantling, transportation, or reinstallation of solar panels.
Also, warranties typically exclude problems resulting from improper installation, repairs, changes, or dismantling performed by non-qualified staff, as well as accidental breakages or abuses, and also lightning strikes and other natural disasters.
Ignoring the financial incentives available to you
You should perceive financial incentives as a way to fund your solar panel system.
Financial incentives are applicable mostly for grid-tied systems.
There are special programs for financing not only PV solar but also other types of investments in renewable energy production since worldwide; it is a global policy of the governments to stimulate photovoltaic undertaking.
To become eligible to incentives available for solar system owners (tax credits, feed-in tariffs, renewable energy certificates or any other form of government subsidy), you should have your solar power system designed, installed and tested by a certified photovoltaic installing company.
Therefore, not only the solar vendor but also your local electrical provider has to be involved in the process.
Yes, the utility company should be aware of what is going to be installed in your house and on your roof.
It usually takes care of inspecting your net meter and making final verifications before issuing you a certificate of approval.
Here are the financial incentives you as a solar user are eligible to:
- Solar tax credits – solar vendors are not tax advisors. You, as a potential solar power system owner, should be informed how to take advantage of an attractive solar credit scheme you may be eligible to.
- Limited time rebates – When checking for such incentives in your area or state, you should also look for how long they have been offered. Solar installers are quite well informed about such incentives and can provide you with sound advice.
- Funding and leasing – various schemes exist as a form of incentives and subsidies to motivate people ‘to go solar.’ Most solar vendors offer you help to get the necessary funding. Another option is the solar lease, which does have its pros and cons.
The tips and tricks exposed here are based on the practical and easy to follow information from our book “Top 40 Costly Mistakes Solar Newbies Make: Your Smart Guide to Solar Powered Home and Business”. The book is available in ebook, paperback and audio editions.
If you want to discover more practical solar power information you can get the book in the corresponding formats and from corresponding stores described on our webpage here.
Sources:
1. Pop MSE, Lacho, Dimi Avram MSE. 2019. “Top 40 Costly Mistakes Solar Newbies Make: Your Smart Guide to Solar Powered Home and Business”, Digital Publishing, Amazon Kindle Edition
2.Pop MSE, Lacho, Dimi Avram MSE. 2019. The New Simple And Practical Solar Component Guide, Digital Publishing, Amazon Kindle Edition
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